Job hunters biggest gripes when looking for a new role include lack of salary details in ads, failing to receive a response after applying – and waiting ‘too long’ to hear back following an interview.
A study of 2,000 adults, who've sought new employment in the past five years, found they’ll typically spend four hours applying for a single job.
And 30% of these applications result in an interview.
But 66% find the entire process ‘stressful’ and ‘time consuming’ – with common frustrations including unnecessarily lengthy interview processes and misleading job ads.
And lack of clarity on the annual salary – for instance, large salary bands – is a significant gripe, especially for the 36% who’ve declined a job offer upon discovering what they’d be earning.
The research was commissioned by smarter job search engine Adzuna, which has launched a campaign to make it a legal requirement for salary details to feature in all UK job ads.
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To highlight how confusing salaries are, Love Island star Olivia Attwood invited passers-by to guess the going pay rate for different job roles.
Doug Monro, CEO and co-founder of Adzuna, said: "With all the time and effort that goes into applying for jobs, it can be incredibly frustrating and stressful to stumble across issues along the way.
“From the research, it’s plain to see salary is a critical component of the job process with jobseekers clearly pointing to a lack of clarity or detail on annual wages being a key gripe when applying for a job.
“That’s why we’re driving the industry forward in encouraging employers to be more transparent.
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"They need to include as many details on salaries in their job ads as possible to give candidates the financial peace of mind they need, as well as the all important information around whether a role is right for them.”
The study found 69% of respondents believe companies should be more transparent in their job ads.
And this could be concerning to businesses as it may be detrimental to their reputation – impacting their ability to find talented staff.
Nearly a third (32%) said they have a sense the employer is hiding something if they don’t include salary information in ads.
Similarly, 22% admitted such practices make a business appear untrustworthy and 21% said they seem unprofessional.
While 46% revealed they simply wouldn’t accept an interview offer if they didn’t know about the wages offered from a prospective employer.
And it’s not just salary info those polled are keen to see beforehand – workplace location and employee benefit schemes are also important to many.
The study, carried out via OnePoll, also found 63% think greater transparency over salaries would make workplaces fairer.
Further to this, 36% would be happy for their colleagues to know what they earn – with 44% neutral on the subject, and just 12% unhappy with the idea.
Doug Monro added: “Jobseekers are increasingly concerned with finding employers that match their values and that they trust.
"Being transparent by showing salaries on job ads is one way for companies to show they care about prioritising fair pay.
“But there is room for improvement and the onus is now on companies doing their diligence to present job opportunities that fairly reward candidates.”
Top 20 gripes when applying for a new job
1. Not hearing back/not receiving a reply after applying
2. No salary being listed on the job advert
3. Waiting too long to hear back after an interview
4. Lack of feedback following rejection for a role
5. Too many stages to the interview process
6. Turned down because of ‘not enough experience’ despite already looking at the CV
7. Interview process dragging out over multiple weeks or even months
8. Needing to update your CV for every application
9. Misleading job ads
10. Lack of clarity on salary, e.g. ‘on target earnings’ or very largesalary ranges
11. Being asked irrelevant interview questions
12. Not being totally transparent about the role/company after reading reviews online
13. Saying you’re overqualified for a role – even though they’ve seen your CV
14. Unrealistic responsibilities/requirements
15. Realising mid-interview that this isn’t the job for you
16. Unrealistic working hours
17. Rude or inappropriate interviewers
18. Being asked inappropriate or offensive interview questions
19. Unclear stance on remote/hybrid/in office working
20. Not offering desired staff perks or benefits
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